Wägitalersee is an artificial lake in Wägital, a valley in the canton of Schwyz, Switzerland. The lake is surrounded by the mountains Gross Aubrig, Fluebrig, Zindlenspitz, Brünnelistock and Bockmattli. The reservoir is located in the municipality of Innerthal.

The old village of Innerthal was flooded in 1924 when the dam Schräh was constructed. A new village was built on the current lake.
The primary economical purpose of the Wägitalersee is to serve as reservoir for pumped-storage hydroelectricity. The power plant and the reservoir dam became operational in 1924, thereby creating the Wägitalersee. The power plant is operated by NOK Wägital / AG Kraftwerk Wägital and produces approximately 120 million kWh of energy per year.

Wägitalersee mit Bockmattlibergen im Herbst, Innerthal, Glarner Alpen, Schwyz, Schweiz, Europa

Besides the above industrial purpose, the lake is very popular as a (nearby) recreational area for families, hikers, nature lovers and especially fishermen. The waterside is easily accessible on foot and also by car (in certain areas).

One asketh:
“Tell me, Myrson, tell me true:
What’s the season pleaseth you?
Is it summer suits you best,
When from harvest toil we rest?
Is it autumn with its glory
Of all surfeited desires?
Is it winter, when with story
And with song we hug our fires?
Or is spring most fair to you–
Come, good Myrson, tell me true!”

Another answereth:
“What the gods in wisdom send
We should question not, my friend;
Yet, since you entreat of me,
I will answer reverently:
Me the summertime displeases,
For its sun is scorching hot;
Autumn brings such dire diseases
That perforce I like it not;
As for biting winter, oh!
How I hate its ice and snow!

“But, thrice welcome, kindly spring,
With the myriad gifts you bring!
Not too hot nor yet too cold,
Graciously your charms unfold–
Oh, your days are like the dreaming
Of those nights which love beseems,
And your nights have all the seeming
Of those days of golden dreams!
Heaven smiles down on earth, and then
Earth smiles up to heaven again!”

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The Susten Pass links the Reuss Valley at the foot of the Gotthard Mountain with the Hasli Valley in the Bernese Oberland, and the village of Wassen in Canton Uri with Innertkirchen in Canton Bern. The Susten Pass road was only opened in 1945 and is the first pass road to be purpose-built for vehicular traffic.

The architecturally spectacular Susten Road mainly serves tourism and is therefore one of the last to be cleared of snow, often remaining closed from the beginning of November until June. The route begins in Wassen on the Gotthard axis, where it negotiates the jagged estuary gorge of the Meienreuss River via several tunnels. At the beginning one sees the Swiss Federal Railway’s (SBB) boldly designed Gotthard line, which runs through several switchback tunnels to overcome the steep climb. At the head of the valley the Sustenen Road leads to Meien Valley, where the characteristic peaks of the Fünffingerstock come into view. Near the rear of the valley, the road climbs again in several tight curves to the top of the Pass in the short summit tunnel. Shortly before the tunnel, a sweeping view extends over the vast basin of the Meien valley to the Sustenhorn.

On the Bernese side of the tunnel, a large parking lot and the Susten Hospiz, located a few meters above the Pass road, invites you to rest awhile. During the ride through the valley the stunning panorama of the Gadmen Valley and the Steinen Glacier comes into view. During the two-hour hike on the glacier trail one can glean interesting information from the thematic markers. The starting point is the Hotel Steingletscher on the Pass road.

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Lauterbrunnen is situated in one of the most impressive trough valleys in the Alps, between gigantic rock faces and mountain peaks. With its 72 thundering waterfalls, secluded valleys, colourful alpine meadows and lonely mountain inns, the Lauterbrunnen Valley is one of the biggest nature conservation areas in Switzerland.

The very name ‘Lauter Brunnen’ (‘many fountains’) suggests the magnificence of this landscape. There are 72 waterfalls in the Lauterbrunnen Valley, the most famous being the Staubbach Falls. Plunging almost 300 metres from an overhanging rock face, they are one of the highest free-falling waterfalls in Europe. In 1779, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe visited the valley, and was inspired by the roaring waters to write his well-known poem ‘Spirit song over the waters’

Another deafening natural phenomenon are the Trümmelbach Falls in the ‘Black Monk’ mountain, hidden behind mighty rock faces. Up to 20,000 litres of water per second cascade over the ten glacier falls from a total height of about 200 metres. This spectacle can only be reached in summer by tunnel lift.

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Sandwiched between blazing summer and chilly winter, autumn is the “cooling off” season. Nighttime arrives earlier, temperatures begin to drop and most vegetative growth decreases. Animals begin to prepare for the dearth of food that generally comes during the winter, gathering supplies or traveling to warmer climates.

The season is often regarded as a melancholy time and has inspired many writers and poets. Here are some quotes about autumn:

“Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.” — Albert Camus

“Autumn … the year’s last, loveliest smile.” — William Cullen Bryant

“Now Autumn’s fire burns slowly along the woods and day by day the dead leaves fall and melt.” — William Allingham

“Summer ends, and autumn comes, and he who would have it otherwise would have high tide always and a full moon every night.” — Hal Borland

“I saw old Autumn in the misty morn stand shadowless like silence, listening to silence.” — Thomas Hood

“Autumn is the mellower season, and what we lose in flowers we more than gain in fruits.” — Samuel Butler

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